Category Archives: Economy

Just as it has every three months for the past six decades, next week the Australian Bureau of Statistics will unleash a torrent of numbers that make up the national accounts.

A radical rethink of the financial system was essential after a devastating crisis There are many other ideas in this broad area that seem worth pursuing. One would be to allow every citizen to hold an account directly at the … Continue reading →

“If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”  The mantra of the managerialist “economic rationalists” has led to oversimplification and oversight (in the sense of ‘failing to see’) of what actually matters: the real values involved in the work. 

Flowing from the Financial Services Royal Commission is a stream of stories about the bad behaviour of big business, but is that distracting our attention from the shortcomings of small business?

Australia just experienced one of the biggest mining booms in world history. But even at the peak of that boom, there was no talk of the wonderful opportunity we finally had to invest in world-class mental health or domestic violence … Continue reading →

The industry says we have a ‘world class’ system but who does it benefit. ‘It treats us with contempt. It has known for decades about the cost of multiple accounts.’ Here’s how you can tell the Productivity Commission was spot-on in its … Continue reading →

A substantial Productivity Commission report, Superannuation: Assessing Efficiency and Competitiveness, was released this week with submissions due by 13 July 2018. It is an important report that reviews the $2.6 trillion industry with 15 million members and provides sensible reform … Continue reading →

The Treasurer wants us to believe that the Government has a credible plan to restore the Budget to a surplus and cut taxes at the same time. This conclusion is based on the projections for revenue, expenditures and the budget … Continue reading →

In part 1 I provided a brief overview of the book, Fair Share: Competing Claims and Australia’s Economic Future by Stephen Bell and Michael Keating, published by the Melbourne University Press, and set out as identified in the book, the … Continue reading →

 The topic of economic inequality has become an area of strong research and academic interest , and Fair Share: Competing Claims and Australia’s Economic Future, by Stephen Bell and Michael Keating, published by Melbourne University Press,  adds to an illustrious … Continue reading →

If you’re a surgeon living in one of the opulent suburbs on the southern shore of Sydney Harbour, then congratulations: you are a member of the highest paid group in Australia.

The federal election campaign could be as soon as August and no later than May. So which side is shaping as better at managing the economy?